Australian Box Office Report: Blade Runner 2049 cuts through to top spot

While its numbers weren’t quite as strong in the US as was expected, Blade Runner 2049, the follow-up to Ridley Scott‘s 1982 film, sits comfortably in its opening week in Australia at no. 1, earning $4.52m, with a screen average of $9,093 across 498 screens. It’s a fan favourite for both cinema-goers and critics alike – we’ve already deemed it an “instant classic“.

Due to the success of Blade Runner 2049, last week’s no. 1 film, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, has been pushed down to no. 2 this week, making $1.98m at the box office. In its third week in cinemas, this is the first time it’s dropped from the top spot. This film is currently on 373 screens nationally, and has made $15.93m nationwide since its theatrical release.

It’s no surprise that the films rounding out the spots in the top 5 are children’s films, thanks to the school holidays. Last week’s no. 2 film, The Emoji Movie, got pushed down to no. 3 this week. It made $1.71m at the box office, and has made a pretty good amount so far – $12.49m, to be exact.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, last week’s no. 3 film, is now at no. 4 this week. Earnings went down this week by only 4% – it made $1.43m, with a screen average earning of $4,641.

Last week’s no. 6 film, The Lego Ninjago Movie, is now at no. 5 this week. It made $899k at the box office, and managed a screen average of $2,949.

The Groundhog Day for horror fans gets released this weekend – Happy Death Day follows the terrifying adventures of a college student who relives her murder over and over again until she figures out who her killer is. Sheesh!

All figures from The Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia and Box Office Mojo.